


Duke Sterling, (closeted aroace) Country Superstar

by Nocticola



Series: Hallmark/Lifetime [5]
Category: Country at Heart (2020)
Genre: Aromantic, Asexuality, Gen, I'm back to writing about this random Hallmark movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28402077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocticola/pseuds/Nocticola
Summary: Duke’s long been sure that if he ever would fall for someone, if he had ever wanted someone, that someone would have been Grady Connor. But he never did. If he was younger, he suspects he might think the same about Shayna Judson. But he knows better now. Knows who he is, and what he doesn’t want. He can sing about love and romance and implicit sex but he does not feel the desire for them himself.
Relationships: Duke Sterling & Grady Connor, Duke Sterling & Shayna Judson
Series: Hallmark/Lifetime [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031991
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Duke Sterling, (closeted aroace) Country Superstar

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Friends at Heart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27700999) by [Nocticola](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocticola/pseuds/Nocticola). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duke Sterling knew he was different from a young age. It took him decades to realize he's aroace and his career means he has to stay in the closet. But it's worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have too many ideas about this to fit into a oneshot. So, this is pre-movie stuff, second chapter is movie stuff, third chapter is post-movie/Friends at Heart fic.
> 
> https://demisexualnathanvuornos.tumblr.com/post/641565159579598848/duke-sterling-closeted-aroace-country-superstar

Duke Sterling knew from an early age that he was different. And it wasn't just because of his love and skill for music. That wasn't anything special in a town like Tulsa. What made him different was the fact that, while he was great friends with a lot of people, he never wanted anything different. His classmates started dating and getting together way too early for Duke's taste but he thought he was just a late bloomer, that he would want that too, eventually. But he never did. And it took a long time until he had the proper words to know what that meant.

In high school, he started dating. Girls liked him, and he assumed eventually he'd find someone who he liked the way they liked him. But he never did. He even had a few secret boyfriends. But they all broke up with him, when he wasn't giving them what they wanted. Romance. Eventually, sex. The break ups where always bittersweet. The rejection hurt. But not having to do what he didn't want to do was a relief. 

He skipped college. He knew it would just be more of the same, and he didn't want to go through that. He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to sing and play country music, and he knew what he needed to do to break out. He took every gig he could, performed covers and wrote his own songs, even though he sometimes struggled with the lyrical content. He'd never been in love, never had sex but that was what a lot of songs were about. So he sang about these things he barely understood. He could fake it though.

He thought things might change when he met Grady Connor. They met after a random gig, Duke was done with his performance and Grady just came right up to him and said they might make a good musical team. And they did. Duke was better at writing music while Grady knew what lyrics worked, how to put emotions into words. And Duke knew how to sing them, make them seem real. 

For a while, Duke thought that he should fall in love with Grady. That he should want him. Not that Grady ever seemed like he could reciprocate, though with a kind 'you're not my type' rejection rather than homophobia, but the connection they had, it's the type love songs are written about. But he didn't. 

Maybe it's a good thing **A Life in a Love** came in between them. It gave Duke the opportunity to realize things.

He was never in love with Grady, he never wanted to kiss him or have sex with him. But the feelings he did have, it clarified things for him.

Even though he grew up in the South, even though Country music still isn't very open to diversity, he still didn't feel off for his feelings for Grady, for another man. He felt off because he knew that his feelings weren't romantic or sexual. He had never felt that. Losing his friendship with Grady made him realize what he did and didn't feel but he also got to keep his thoughts and realizations to himself. Because he's not ready to tell anyone. 

He conducts some research in secret, and realizes there are words for what he is. Who he is. Aromantic and asexual. The words bring him some comfort, though he's not ready to be public with them. 

\---

Duke doesn't tell anyone but his parents. They are as supportive as they can be, which means they still hope he will change some day, but he's promised them adopted grandkids eventually, so they are mostly appeased. 

After **A Life in a Love** hits big and Grady disappears from his life, Duke Sterling develops a reputation as the nicest guy in country music. He can be flirty enough with his female fans, supportive of his male one, and brings his Mom with him to awards shows. Occasionally the label spreads rumors linking him to one woman or another and he plays his part. He knows he has a gay fanbase too, though the label doesn't advertise it. He likes that, because if he wasn't so aroace, he'd be pan. But all of it has to be subtext. 

He's mostly happy with the way his life is. He knows he's lucky because he doesn't have to hide a significant other, and asexuality and aromanticism are still so unknown that people don't even know how to be bigoted against it. Not really. Not until they know about them. Though he gets questions about his love life that are annoying but they're a lot less frequent than if he was a woman.

So, he deals with the relationship questions, flirts with female fans just enough, sings songs about sex and romance, has a bromance with Carl, and no one is none the wiser. It's not ideal but he copes. 

But a chance gig in Silverado, Tennessee might change all that.


End file.
